1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to destructive readout memories, more particularly to mechanisms to track and level usage in these memories.
2. Background of the Invention
Polymer ferroelectric memories generally comprise a polymer material having ferroelectric properties arranged adjacent to some type of control structures. The control structures may be as simple as metal electrode lines. The control structures manipulate the ferroelectric state of the polymer material. In memory applications, the ferroelectric state having one characteristic is determined to be a data ‘one,’ and a different characteristic is determined to be a data ‘zero.’
These memories are relatively inexpensive on a cost/bit basis, and reasonable simple to manufacture. However, the ferroelectric properties of the polymer material degrade after extensive use. It would be helpful to track access of the memory array to manage usage and wear out of blocks within the array.
It would also be useful to perform the tracking with minimal impact on processing efficiency, as well as requiring a minimal amount of storage.